Thursday, August 18, 2005

The Rangers developed Ryan Drese last year, then cut him because Showalter didn't like him and because they thought (wrongly) he would clear waivers. They are developing Chris Young this year. Maybe he will be more consistent in 2006.

But what else? Juan Dominguez just got here and he has a track record of trouble. Ricardo Rodriguez has been a prospect for about three years now. Any big believers in C.J. Wilson or Joaquin Benoit out there?

The good players shouldn't wait patiently for the team's top prospects – Thomas Diamond, John Danks and Edison Volquez – to develop. Those pitchers are two to three years away from being solid members of the rotation, and history tells us that all three won't make it. Maybe only one of them will.

Hicks contends there is more help on the way.

"It's not just Diamond-Danks-Volquez. And we may see Volquez before the year's out," he said. "We're starting for the first time to have depth in young pitching." The "wait for our pitching to come" plea is starting to sound too much like Don Nelson in his early days with the Mavs and his "wait for Chris Anstey and wait for Bruno Sundov" to develop. Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash came along and changed everything.

Hicks needs to develop a Nowitzki and go out and pay for a Nash this off-season to regain any sense of credibility with not only the fans but his most important asset, the Rangers' hitters.

Finley immediately becomes one of the more attractive free agents and might quickly wind up in either Miami or Phoenix, playing for a championship. But if teams make the mistake of expecting too much, they'll probably be disappointed.

"Mike's got some good years left in him where he can be a contributor," said Nellie, who probably stuck with Finley to a fault last season. "When his shot was going was when he was at his best.

"He relied on his outside shot, but his shooting percentages were going down and some of that athleticism was waning. He was just getting older."

I am not here to say it is the best show I have ever seen or anything, but Over There is really good in my opinion. It also may very well be in poor taste to have a show about a war that is currently taking place on television, but as a guy who has a brother “Over There” (or at least he was) I actually am very interested in a version of what it might really be like. Sure, there is plenty of Hollywood cliché, and I suppose it might not be anything close to reality, but as someone who is fascinated by the premise of military life, without having even the slightest interest in actually taking part, I have now seen 4 episodes, and I am about ready to give it the “Bob seal of approval”.

as a fellow soccer supporter, i was curious as to your thoughts on the upcoming epl season. i am an arsenal fan, but i fear we may be in for another year of drab 1-0 chelsea victories and a repeat for the hated blues. i like the moves that liverpool made but am not sure if their back line will prove strong enough. i am prepared to give up the ghost early on with my gunners, as i am less than impressed with their offseason moves. they clearly were not good enough last year and replacing viera with hleb is a wash at best. all i hope for is a champions league miracle and that chelsea and manyoo finish the year trophyless. yeah soccer and f tom.

p1 kolby

Kolby- My thoughts are that no one has a chance against Chelsea, a team that has spent so much more than anyone else in the premiership that their second team is good enough to finish in the top 5. It is absurd the gap, and last year they won the league by 30 points, so it is difficult to make the case for anyone else. Arsenal lost PattyVieira in the midfield who I think dominates the mid like no player in football. I think that will really hurt them. Manchester United has still not recovered since Sir Alex chased Becks out of town, and now they continue their freak out of the Glazer purchase. I still don’t think Liverpool is ready to compete with them, but I sure hope they finish higher than Everton this year. So, Chelsea, Arsenal (distant), ManU, Liverpool, and everyone else is my order of finish. Just know that I am happy it is back, and watching every week. Also, I got the BBC Sport Podcast on my Ipod when I run, because it is a good listening.

Bob

Hey, I was wondering if you could work in some thoughts on Billy Cundiff in your program today?

Last year he missed some crucial kicks that could have kept Dallas in some important games. His missed field goal on Saturday might indicate we can expect the same this year. Is it time to part ways with Cundiff? Does Dallas have any other viable options? With the Cowboys struggling over the last several years to put up touchdowns, this seems like an area with no room for error if the Cowboys are to be successful.

I would love to hear you guys discuss him.Thanks,Jerimiah

You know, I have been ripping Billy Cundiff for several years now, because I think he defines “average kicker”. I am amazed that the Cowboys never seek anything better, and yet they never do. But, the preseason broadcasters brought up the stat from 2004 that Cundiff has hit 27 of 28 inside of 40. That is darn solid. I do wish he could occasionally hit a kick from 50, but 27 of 28 inside of 40 is pretty nice. I still think they can do better, but at least he isn’t killing them.

14 comments:

AttnyDan
said...

Bob, I have to totally disagree with you on Cundiff.

With Parcell's ball control/field position style of offense, Cundiff could average 5 attempts a game from 35 to 45 yards each. If he costs us 3 to 6 points a game, it could cost us 3 or 4 wins at a MINIMUM.

I think that by the end of the year, people will be calling for Cundiff's head and asking the Tuna why they didn't address this problem in the off season. Is there anything worse than taking an "L" on a missed 46 yard field goal?

"Arsenal lost Patty Vieira in the midfield who I think dominates the mid like no player in football."

For the love of God, SportsSturm, you are VASTLY overrating present-day Vieira. You may have never heard of him, but there's a Brazilian midfielder that goes by the name of Ronaldinho that might have something to say about dominating a match I would submit that Gerrard from your "beloved" Liverpool, Frankie Lampard, Kaka and maybe even Aimar as better midfielders.

Hey Sturm man sports guy, you missed / were too early for the big hockey story: New TV contract with Comcast, so now you get to watch hockey on OLN, which I have no problem with. Better deal for hockey than what espn rejected. espn is retarded.

For the love of God, SportsSturm, you are VASTLY overrating present-day Vieira. You may have never heard of him, but there's a Brazilian midfielder that goes by the name of Ronaldinho that might have something to say about dominating a match I would submit that Gerrard from your "beloved" Liverpool, Frankie Lampard, Kaka and maybe even Aimar as better midfielders. >>>>

Da-

I guess I was speaking of English Football which is all I claim to watch, aside from Champions League. Give Me Vieira of 2005 over Gerrard of 2005 and this despite my owning of 5 Liverpool Kits. And Lampard is a distant 3rd in that conversation. Vieira dominates the entire middle of the field and makes it impossible for the opposition to retain possession or engineer any manner of attacks aside from the longball. The Gunners will miss him in huge ways.

Bob you obviously didn't watch the Arsenal play much last year. While I hate the fact that Viera is gone, I also realize he had a VERY uninspired season last year. He at times was dominating in the middle but for the first 2/3 of the year he was average at best. Only once Gilberto came back did he start to resemble Viera of old.

All this being said, I like your prediction of Chelski/Arsenal/Manu/Liverpool. One can only hope both 'pool and the Gunners can better their form and suprise us all.

While I _really_ don't like Chelsea, their coach/team is as solid as any in history and I must admit their owner is as fascinating to me as anyone in sports.